Kingship and Sacrifice

Ritual and Society in Ancient Hawaii

Valeri presents an overview of Hawaiian religious culture, in which hierarchies of social beings and their actions are mirrored by the cosmological hierarchy of the gods. As the sacrifice is performed, the worshipper is incorporated into the god of his class. Thus he draws on divine power to sustain the social order of which his action is a part, and in which his own place is determined by the degree of his resemblance to his god. The key to Hawaiian society—and a central focus for Valeri—is the complex and encompassing sacrificial ritual that is the responsibility of the king, for it displays in concrete actions all the concepts of pre-Western Hawaiian society. By interpreting and understanding this ritual cycle, Valeri contends, we can interpret all of Hawaiian religious culture.

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: The Sources Part 1. Sacrifice and the Gods 1. Summary of Hawaiian Theology Cosmogony The Pantheon The Notion of Akua: Preliminary Conclusions 2. The Elements of Sacrifice Preliminary Definition Classification of Sacrifices according to Their End or the Occasion on Which They Are Made The Symbolism of the Offering The Role of Prayer The Offering as Food Remarks concerning the Vocabulary of Sacrifice Theories of Sacrifice A Model of Hawaiian Sacrifice Firstfruits Sacrifice Conclusion 3. Gods and Humans Pure and Impure Kapu and NoaMana Conclusion Part 2. Sacrifice and Hierarchy4. The Hierarchy of Sacrifices The Hierarchy of the Gods and the Hierarchy of Men Sacrifice and the Hierarchy of the Sexes Sacrifice and Rank Conclusions 5. Sacrifice and Kingship The "Sacrificer": Kahuna and Ali'i The Priesthood Kingship 6. The Hierarchy of Temples Introduction The Concept of "Heiau" Functional Types, Architectural Types The Temple System Part 3: The Sacrifice of the Hawaiian King Introduction Remarks on Method The Calendar 7. The Makahiki Festival The Makahiki Festival Transitional Rites 8. The Luakini Temple Ritual Preliminaries The Luakini Temple and Its Furnishings Huikala Rites Ritse for Appropriating the Haki 'ohi'a The 'Aha Helehonua Rite The Kauila Nui Rite Rites for Incorporating the God into the Temple Rites for the Final Transformation of the God The Rite of Kahoali'i and the Hono Rite The Final Hale o Papa Rites The Ritual Syntagma according to I'i and S. M. Kamakau The Treatment of Human Victims Conclusion Notes Glossary References Index

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